Familiar Taste of Poison
by stormchaser69
Summary: Special Agent Grace Van Pelt has had it hard and now we begin to see how what she has been through really effects her and how she has changed for the better.
1. When Duty Calls

This is my first fan fiction. I love the TV show The Mentalist and have felt that Grace Van Pelt's character isn't explored nearly enough. She's awesome and has been through so much; she has a story to tell! This is my own way of making that happen since the show is coming to an end and there won't be much chance on there. There will be more to come, one a week hopefully. Enjoy!

Chapter 1

When Duty Calls

As her cell phone rang violently on her bed side table she tossed in the sheets. After a few more angry buzzes she sighed and gave in, lifting her head from the pillow. Her red hair was messy and knotted as she brushed it out of the way to hold the phone to her ear.

"Hello, what is it?" The deep, gruff tone in her voice alerted the caller that they had just woke her up. Not that it was surprising, since it was barely six in the morning.

"Hey Van Pelt, sorry to wake you." It was Theresa Lisbon; her boss at the CBI (California Bureau of Investigation). Sighing heavily she sat upright and rubbed her eyes until they stopped blurring her vision.

"Its okay boss, what's up?"

"We've got a body. Just off the interstate near the shore, when can I expect you here?" Rolling her eyes Grace swung her legs over the bed, slightly annoyed that her boss just expected her to be able to go.

"Give me forty minutes." Grace tried to keep her voice civil.

"Alright, see you then." Her boss hung up. Grace stared at her phone, wishing it hadn't waked her up. As she went to stand up a hand went over her shoulder and pulled her back to a sitting position.

"Oh no you don't, where do you think you're going?" Grace chuckled and put her hand over the one on her shoulder.

"I have to go to work, sorry." There was no reply to her apology. She did get a light kiss on her collar bone though...and then another one on her neck. Then she got the reply.

"Don't apologise...just be back soon." Turning around Grace smiled, leaning forward to kiss Anna (the girl who lived in the apartment below her, 2B) on the lips.

"I will, as soon as we break for lunch. I'll call you." Getting out of the bed Grace turned to her dresser and brushed through her matted hair.

"Am I okay to go back to sleep here?" Anna asked from the bed. Grace looked at her in the mirror and smiled.

"Of course, make yourself at home." When her hair was unknotted she threw it up in a pony tail and pulled open a drawer. She pulled on some underwear and fished for a bra. When she successfully had the bra on she turned to her wardrobe to look for a shirt. She found Anna propped up on one elbow, watching her intently.

"Can I help you?" Grace asked her mockingly as she settled for a plain white t-shirt.

"No thanks, I'm just enjoying the view." Anna replied with a wicked grin. Grace threw another shirt at her playfully and pulled on a pair of jeans. Quickly pulling on her boots, fastening her belt and clipping her gun and badge to it Grace stood in front of the mirror, ready.

"You look great. Now go and catch some bad guys." Anna told Grace who nodded, bent over the bed for a goodbye kiss and grabbed her jacket and keys on the way out. Jumping the stairs of her apartment block (since her elevator was broken and the landlord had no intention of fixing it) Grace used the time she had until she got to the crime scene to compose herself. None of her work colleagues knew about Anna and Grace wanted to keep it that way. So she just had to act normal. That doesn't seem so difficult does it? But when she worked with someone like Patrick Jane it was extremely difficult. When she arrived at the crime scene she was ready to do her job, Anna pushed firmly to the back of her mind. Crossing the threshold of the yellow crime scene tape was like wiping the slate clean for her, it cleared her mind more than anything else.

"Hey Van Pelt, you look good considering the early start. You okay?" Patrick Jane was right behind her.

"Oh hey Jane, yeah I'm good thanks." When she reached the body she stopped and waited for Lisbon to tell her what was going on.

"You look especially...glowing today." Jane pointed out. Van Pelt didn't look up to him, although she had a millisecond of panic rush through her. What was so special about her today? She just nodded and closed her phone over, smiling up at him.

"Thanks Jane, you too." Her brush off tone was enough to tell him that she didn't want him to define how he found her extra 'glowing' today. Lisbon walked over to her and gave her a smile.

"Good morning, Grace. Our victim is mid twenties, male. Timothy Walters. Looks like a robbery gone wrong but we need to cover all the bases. I'm sending you and Rigsby to his work. He was a vice president at Lyle & Walters estate agents. You good to go?" Grace gave her a nod and turned to Rigsby who had been listening quietly behind her. Wayne Rigsby was Grace's ex-boyfriend, a friendly guy. Grace was glad they were able to be friends.

"You ready? We might as well stop for coffee, the place doesn't open until eight thirty." Wayne told Grace as they walked toward her car. She checked her watch and saw it was just past seven.

"Yeah, okay. You want to drive or should I?"

"You can, I got a ride with Cho today." Cho was another detective on the team. Nodding Grace opened her car and got in the driver's seat. Wayne happily got into the passenger side and buckled up as Grace pulled the car back onto the interstate.

"So what did you get up to last night?" He asked Grace as she steered with her left hand and buckled up with her right.

"Nothing really, watched some TV, tried to get my dumb ass landlord to fix the god damn elevator. No use though...ass hole." Wayne laughed a little.

"I can't believe you put up with that guy. I'd be so out of there." Grace just nodded, not really sure herself why she put up with him. She pulled off of the interstate and stopped at a red light that lead to town.

"So, any preferred coffee shop?" Grace asked Wayne as the light changed from red to amber.

"Not really. There is one on the corner here." He pointed out of the window and Grace nodded, turning and pulling up outside of the shop. It hadn't been open long and the fresh smell of coffee beans was welcoming. They both got out of the car and went into the store. There was a young girl - no older than twenty - behind the counter and she was standing at the till, waiting for a customer.

"Good morning, how may I help you?" The girl was polite and smiling. Grace smiled back and pulled her jacket back to rest her hands on her hips. The young girls eyes flashed down to Grace's belt where her police badge was. The girls smile faded slightly. Grace kept her smile intact.

"I'll have a coffee black with two sugars please." Wayne ordered first.

"I'm just going to the bathroom." Wayne told Grace as he gave her a five dollar bill and moved toward the restrooms.

"I'll just have a coffee please, milk and no sugars." Grace asked the cashier. Handing her the cash Grace pocketed Wayne five and reminded herself to give him that back later, buying his coffee from her own money. When the girl handed the coffee, receipt and the change back Grace nodded a little and sat at a table near the window. The girl had resumed her place by the till and was waiting patiently. Wayne returned and sat opposite Grace who handed him the coffee.

"Thanks." Wayne told her as he took a sip. Grace frowned when she put the change back in her pocket. On the back of the receipt was a scrawled note.

_'help me guy with gun behind counter' _Grace fought the urge immediately take action. She knew the girl wouldn't be standing there if that was a possibility.

"Hey Wayne, I got your coffee." Grace told Wayne as she fished the five dollar bill from her pocket.

"No, don't worry about it. The next one's on me." Grace caught his gaze and shot him a stern look.

"No, really, I insist." She passed him the note and the five dollar bill. He read it then pocketed it before mouthing something to her.

_"What should we do?"_ Grace didn't answer because she had no idea.


	2. Just Another Day at The Office

Chapter 2

Just Another Day at The Office

After a few more seconds of them sitting there Grace pulled out her cell phone and quickly went into her messages. She clicked 'compose new message' and typed a quick message to Wayne.

"Hey Rigsby, look at my new cat. Isn't she adorable?" As Grace handed him the phone she thought about her fabricated pet. Of all the things she could've picked, why the hell did she choose a cat? She hated cats. She was pretty sure that she was allergic. Well, at least she told everyone she was so she never had to go near the things. Wayne was reading the message with a false smile pasted over his face.

'_We need to make sure she doesn't get hurt. I'm going to go check it out unless you've got any bright ideas?'_ Wayne clicked the buttons fast, chuckling as he held it back.

"So cute, what's her name?" Grace put the phone in her pocket, not before catching what he had replied.

'_Go ahead; I've got your back.'_ Pushing her chair away from the table she said the first name that popped into her head.

"Anna." The scrape of the chair on the floor had made the cashier look over. The closer Grace got to the desk the more the girl smiled. When Grace got there she asked the thing that would take the longest amount of time to explain, that way she would have enough time to get a good luck.

"Hey, I was just wondering what cakes or biscuits or something you had here today. You know us cops, sweet teeth and all." They both smirked a little and the cashier reeled off a list of snacks. Grace wasn't listening, she was looking. There was nothing visibly different about the counter and she couldn't see past the girl's middle, the till was in the way. When the girl was done Grace paid full attention to her again.

"Thanks so much but I think I'll skip, need to lose a few pounds." Turning Grace gave Wayne a defeated look. They sat nursing their coffee's for a minute or two before Wayne had an idea. He knew it was crazy but it was worth a shot. Reaching under the table with his left hand he put a hand on Grace's leg and she frowned but just watched him. With his other hand he knocked his coffee off of the table, making it look like he was reaching for Grace's hand. The polystyrene cup fell from the table and landed with a soft tap, the lid coming away from the cup and coffee spilling everywhere.

"Oh crap, sorry! I'll buy you another!" Wayne said as the girl came from behind the counter. Grace and Wayne both bent over, using the little napkins they had to mop up the mess. When they were running out Grace turned to the girl.

"I'm going to get some more." As Grace approached the desk she unhooked the clasp on her gun holster, just in case. She went to reach for the napkins on the edge of the counter. Instead she gripped the edge and swung herself over the top. Landing rather gracefully she saw a guy in a black hooded jacket holding a gun. He jumped at her and she grabbed his wrist, trying the get the gun out of his grasp. After a rather forceful smash of his wrist against the wall he dropped the gun.

"Grace!" Wayne yelled but she ignored him. The guy turned into her so he was facing her, struggling to get her down. She shoved him away from her with all her force. There was an earsplitting sound of a gun shot as he toppled over the counter. Wayne dove on the guy and arrested him, calling for back up at the same time.

"You good Grace?" He yelled as over his shoulder. She didn't answer, confused about where the gunshot came from. Looking on the ground she saw the guys gun. Reaching for her holster she grabbed at the empty leather...no gun. Then she felt the burn in her stomach and looked down to see her white t-shirt stained red as blood oozed from the bullet wound. Gripping her stomach with her left hand she used her right to steady herself on the counter. Moving around the edge she leant against it, taking deep breaths.

"Grace, you okay?" Wayne turned to her and caught her just before she slid to the ground.

"Grace!" His voice was panicked and the girl from the cashier called 911 frantically.

"Grace can you hear me?" Wayne's voice was distorted and she managed a feeble nod. She didn't hear anything else they were saying. There was a piercing burn in her abdomen though as Wayne put pressure on her wound. She saw him ordering the cashier to take over as he took the culprit out to the cop car. The last thing she saw was the tears of the cashier as she tried desperately to stop the bleeding. Then she blacked out.

The thing that had woken Grace up this time was a repeated beeping that wouldn't quit. It was driving her crazy and she forced herself awake to shut the thing off that was annoying her so much. She couldn't understand why someone wouldn't do it for her. When she woke up, however, she realized that she was in the hospital and the beeping culprit was a heart monitor. Her heart monitor. And then she realized that the whole team where dotted around her private room. Jane was sitting on a chair, buried in a book that looked one hundred years old. Although she wouldn't put it past him to read a century old novel. Cho was standing outside, on the phone. Grace could see him pacing impatiently through the blinds of the window. Lisbon was sitting on her other side, watching Jane with a strange look on her face. It was either anger or endearment. When Lisbon huffed heavily and looked at the TV Grace decided it was anger. Or Annoyance; either was plausible. Wayne was standing by the window, looking out into the sky. He was miles away. Most probably with his pregnant girlfriend, he wasn't particularly jumping for joy with the issue. Grace lay there, enjoying the peace before someone noticed she was awake and she became the center of attention. Withing seconds of her thinking the thought though she heard a yelling down the hall.

"You are a_ crazy_ son of a bitch if you think I won't hurt you!" For a second Grace hoped that her suspicions about who the voice was were not true and she was imagining things. But then she saw Cho hang up his phone and try to stop the young woman from entering the room.

"Ma'am if you would just calm down, my name is special agent Cho and-" She cut him off.

"I don't give a damn if you're 007 I need to see Grace!" Pushing past him she pulled the door open and Lisbon stood in her way.

"Miss you're going to have to wait outside unless you are a relative!" Wayne spoke from the window.

"Grace doesn't have any sisters." Grace saw, in the doorway, Anna. She was looking at Grace with desperation in her eyes, mascara all down her cheeks and her eyes rimmed red with tears. Tears that didn't go with her cheery disposition and her beautiful face. Everyone was looking at Grace now, noticing she was awake.

"Let her in." Grace told Lisbon who gave Anna a once over before stepping aside.

"Oh my God are you okay?" Anna wrapped her arms around Grace who winced.

"Shit sorry! What the hell happened? I thought the guy was dead not packing heat." Grace couldn't help but chuckle and then immediately regretted it. Clutching her stomach she hissed in pain.

"Sorry, I'll be less funny. How are you feeling?" Anna pulled a face and took Lisbon's vacated chair.

"I feel okay, considering. It was just unlucky, I guess. We go into a coffee shop and the waitress gives me a note asking for help. She knew we were cops. I didn't know what else to do, the poor girl was petrified. She was just a kid." Grace had looked over everyone else as she had began explaining.

"Ah-hem." Anna cleared her throat.

"What about this girl? The one you left in bed this morning! I can't have a dead girlfriend!" Grace (realizing that all hopes of hiding her relationship were now long gone) held her hand out for Anna.

"I know, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you worry. I promise I'll be more careful." Anna looked satisfied and kissed Grace's forehead.

"Well you're forgiven. Just, stop getting shot. At least you made channel six news." Grace smiled as Anna fit her fingers in between hers. Grace couldn't help but notice how it was like a jigsaw puzzle, the way they fitted perfectly into each other, their hands.

"Well, everybody." Grace announced, even though they were all listening intently already.

"This is Anna, my...girlfriend." No one spoke. Wayne looked confused, which you suppose he would be considering Grace had once been with him. When Grace saw her face she made a mental note to have a one-on-one conversation about Anna with him. He deserved that much. Cho was the same as always, just...Cho. Lisbon looked surprised but she soon seemed annoyed again when she saw Jane wearing a smug smile.

"And what are you smiling at?" She demanded. Putting his book down he got up and walked next to her.

"Can't I just be happy that Grace here is still with us?" Lisbon shook her head.

"Nope. Not buying it." Jane laughed.

"Okay then Lisbon, you got me. I knew all along Grace was in fact hiding a female lover from us. The question was who. In fact you crossed my mind once or twice." Lisbon glared at him.

"You didn't know!" Turning for the door she left it open as she walked down the corridor.

"I did." Jane retorted as he followed her down the hall.

"I'm going to go and...yeah..." Wayne dismissed himself and practically hit the exit at a sprint. Cho just smiled at Grace.

"I'm glad you're okay, Grace. Good job today. Pleasure to meet you, Anna." Cho left, shutting the door behind him.

"Wow, interesting folks." Anna commented as she sat on the edge of the bed and lent into Grace for a kiss.

"You think so?" Grace asked as she kissed Anna. Anna pulled away and shook her head at Grace, tears swelling in her eyes again.

"I mean it, don't do this to me again. I was so worried about you. I thought I'd never..." Grace nodded.

"I know, I won't. Come here." She kissed Anna again. Pulling her closer Grace ignored the pain in her stomach. Suddenly the steady beeping began to rise slowly until it was going rather fast. They pulled away from each other breathlessly.

"Jeez, I must be a good kisser." Anna joked as Grace pulled her to lie against her good side, avoiding pain. And with that Anna from 2B relished in her girlfriends luck, and her girlfriend relished in her life.


	3. Recovering

Chapter 3

Recovering

Considering her injuries that could've been quite easily fatal, Grace was doing rather well. Her doctor told her that she was healing a lot faster than the average gunshot victim. Not that a lot of them survived. He simply said the odds were in her favour; she was a healthy young woman and the shooter had bad aim. Any better aim and she could've been dead in minutes. When Lisbon had called Grace to inform her of the minimum of a three week vacation she had to take however, she wasn't completely thrilled.

"You get an entire three weeks off _with pay_! How can you not love that?" Anna was putting up a very good argument as she helped Grace pack her things from the hospital room, ready to go home.

"I'm just not that type of person, I like my job. And I can't just sit here for three weeks, twenty one days, five hundred and four hours-"

"You don't know how many minutes that calculates to do you?" Grace laughed lightly and shook her head.

"No, I don't. But if it supports my argument that desk jockey's can be a little under the weather then yes, I can work it out." Anna rolled her eyes disapprovingly at Grace.

"A little under the weather is like colds and coughs. You are the equivalent to hurricane Katrina, therefore supporting _my_ theory that you should stay home and let me look after you." Grace sighed, defeated as Anna walked over to her and kissed her.

"Don't you want me to take care of you?" Another kiss and Grace was convinced.

"Yes, of course I do but-"

"No buts! That's fine; I can live with the fact that you only want me for my body." Grace laughed again, forgetting her stomach. Gripping it she sucked in a breath and Anna was by her side instantaneously.

"Be careful, I'll have to stop making you laugh. You'll burst your stitches or something equally gross." When she was satisfied Grace wouldn't drop dead she resumed to packing her things away.

"Good after noon ladies." Grace's doctor appeared in the doorway.

"Here are your pills, two of these," he shook a vile at her.

"Before bed and one of these," he shook a box at her.

"When you wake up, but be warned they can hold some pretty serious side effects." Anna nodded went to reach for them. He pulled them just out of her grasp, frowning down at her.

"You may want some other vital instructions just until your stitches have healed." Moving around Anna he put the pills into Grace's palm and took her clipboard from her bed, frowning through his glasses. He was young, dark haired and rather tall. Good looking too, he had a sort of Hugh Jackman/Robert Pattinson thing going on.

"No extreme sports, heavy lifting, running marathons etcetera, etcetera blah, blah. The obvious stuff really." Grace nodded, ignoring his obvious way of trying to be charming.

"But one last thing, make sure to tell your boyfriend to be gentle with you tonight, if you catch my drift." Grace sighed internally (almost aloud) at his feeble attempt to hit on her. It seemed that now she was leaving, she was no longer his patient and it was no longer against the rules to sleep with her. Her initial reaction was to say:

'Yeah, dumb ass, the guy who shot me got your oh-so-subtle drift' but that would make him be stingy on the drugs. And the way her abdomen was throbbing told her that she needed to be his friend right about now. Then she thought about giving him the obvious answer, telling him she was gay and there was no man, easy mistake to make and all. But that was too much effort. And by the look on Anna's face, if she didn't take evasive action fast, then heads will roll.

"Okay, I'll tell him just that." Grace replied and walked over to Anna, giving her the pills.

"Oh by the way, make sure to be gentle with me later, honey if you catch my drift." Anna winked and smacked Graces behind as they headed for the exit, leaving the doctor looking lost and confused. He had a little disappointment in his face too. Walking down the corridor they fought all urges not to laugh – Grace mainly because she could hurt herself by doing so. The whole drive home was annoying to Grace. She couldn't drive and she didn't dare trust Anna with her own car. So she was stuck in a small, compact with Anna swearing in strings of insults that Grace had never even heard before. It was a relief when they arrived outside of their apartment building.

"That jerk off on that intersection, did you see the crap he pulled?" Anna asked as Grace got out of the car.

"Yeah, and I think you alerted the entire neighbourhood of it." Ignoring her dig Anna got Grace's bag and walked up the steps with her.

"So, I got a surprise for you." Anna told Grace.

"You have? Now I'm excited." Grace headed for the stairs only to see Anna waiting by the elevator.

"What are you doing?" With a high pitched 'ding' the doors opened and Anna gleamed.

"The super wouldn't fix it so I called my brother, told him you got shot and can't walk up those stairs every time you need something and I'm not here. He said you owe him some free parking tickets." Smiling Grace stood in the elevator next to Anna.

"I have never used this elevator before." Anna said mindlessly.

"Your brother knows about us?" Grace asked, feeling guilty that in the four times she'd spoke with her father she had not once mentioned Anna. Or the fact that she was a lesbian...or the fact that she was dating at all.

"Yeah, of course I did. He's cool about it, he's known I was gay since we were like fourteen." Grace looked at her wide eyed.

"Oh come on, it's not that young. If it helps I didn't lose my virginity until I was sixteen." Anna said as the elevator came to a halt and she walked out with Graces stuff. Grace stood staring after her in disbelief. When the doors went to shut Anna's hand shot in between them and forced them open.

"Come one then." Grace obeyed and followed Anna to her apartment silently. When they were in Anna went to Grace's room and put her stuff away whilst Grace sat on the sofa. The TV was on low and there was a half drank, cold mug of coffee sitting next to a cold piece of toast.

"Sorry about the mess." Anna told Grace from behind her.

"I saw you on the news and I just went straight to the emergency room." Grace shrugged but Anna cleared the plates away anyway.

"Who was it?" Grace asked, Anna's comment about her teenage years still bothering her.

"Who was who baby?" Anna called over the running water of the kitchen sink.

"The guy...or girl...whoever it was, who took your virginity." Anna re-appeared, wiping her hands on her jeans.

"You say that like they pinned me down and forced it from me kicking and screaming." Grace went to gasp but Anna stooped her.

"No, no, no I'm not saying I was raped or anything! Sorry, that came out wrong. It was supposed to be a joke. What I mean is, I gave it to them happily if I do say so myself." Grace nodded and positioned herself on the couch in a way that wasn't painful, but it was proving to be rather difficult. Anna sat at one end and Grace leant on her, which was much comfier.

"She was head cheerleader, completely beautiful. Man after man would nearly kill themselves for a night with her. I however, just needed to provide my intelligent brain for an SAT's study session. One thing leads to another and we're with eachother all night. I woke up the next morning and she was gone. I tried to find her but she wasn't in school. The next day I saw her and she completely ignored me...it was like I didn't exist. She never spoke to me again." Grace felt bad for her.

"Oh, that's terrible. Give me her name and I'll look her up. Book her for an unpaid parking ticket or something." Anna laughed and shook her head.

"No, it's alright; it was probably for the best. She was so high maintenance. I would've rung her neck if she had stuck around." Despite the tough front Anna put on Grace could still hear the hurt. Grace was still with her first girl, she couldn't imagine being left behind like that. Dropped as if it meant nothing, as if you meant nothing. A she lay there with Anna stroking her hair she thought about how much she hadn't told her. Nothing really. Nothing about her and Wayne, about her lost boyfriend getting a bullet to the head, about how she still hadn't really gotten over it. Her train of thought was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"I'll get it." Anna said and Grace shook her head.

"No, it's fine. I got it." Getting up Grace walked over to the door opening it. When she saw who was standing there though she nearly passed out. The impact of the person standing there at her door was a hell of a lot more than getting shot.

"There's my Bracey Gracey!" She was pulled into a hug before she could say anything.

"Who is it honey?" Anna asked and Grace pulled away from the hugger who was staring at Anna with a confused expression on their face.

"Anna, this is Amos...my Dad..." Anna's face dropped just like her father's arms dropped from around her. For a brief second when her dad gave her a glare Grace wished that she had been killed by that bullet.


	4. Honesty is Always the Hard Part

Chapter 4

Honesty is Always the Hard Part

Grace stood watching her dad, not knowing what to say. Luckily for her, her girlfriend from 2B was a people person.

"Hi, I'm Anna." Anna held her hand out for Grace's father to shake. He didn't, he just looked at it like it was some extra limb she had grown. Anna bit her tongue and put both hands in her pockets.

"It's nice to finally meet you...not that I've heard anything about you..." Grace turned and shot her a wide eyed look.

"So are you going to give me my coffee on the doorstep?" He asked Grace who smiled.

"Of course not, come in Dad." Pulling his suitcase behind him he edged into her apartment, eyeing it sceptically.

"You know..." He began as Anna and Grace watched him carefully.

"When you get shot you tend to want family there, usually. But it looks like someone else has got that covered. You're lucky to have a guy like that you know." Grace frowned and shot a confused expression to Anna who shrugged, clueless.

"Dad, what are you on about?" He turned, smiling.

"That cop friend of yours. I know things went a little South with that fiancé you had but why didn't you tell me you were back with Wayne?" Grace blinked a few times, confused beyond belief.

"Dad..." Grace tried but she couldn't find the words.

"It's okay honey, he called me and let me know. Said that you were fine, just doing your job. And I'm proud of you honey." Moving forward he pecked her forehead.

"Where's the john in here anyway?" Grace silently pointed to her bathroom and he walked into it. When she heard the door click shut she dragged Anna into the kitchen.

"What the hell was that about? Who is this guy Wayne?" Anna demanded in a hiss and Grace sighed.

"It was-" There was another knock at the door.

"This isn't over!" Anna told Grace as she left for the door. There could not have been a worse situation Grace could be thrown in now. She'd just been shot and now her dad was here thinking she had a boyfriend (which she didn't) and her girlfriend had no idea about it. Opening the door however, Grace realized exactly how the situation could get worse. More importantly how it just did.

"Oh shit." Grace muttered. Wayne was standing there with an apologetic expression on his face.

"Hey, I have to tell you something." He said quietly, guiltily. Anna appeared behind Grace.

"Is this him?" Grace nodded.

"Yes, but wait Anna-" She didn't wait. In fact she punched Rigsby square in the face.

"Anna!" Grace exclaimed as she lurched forward, forgetting all about her stitches. Gripping her stomach she pulled back and leant against the door frame.

"Grace!" Amos ran out of the bathroom and grabbed her arm, supporting her.

"I'm fine Dad." Rigsby had blood dripping from his nose and had Anna in an arm lock.

"Hey!" Amos split them up as Anna took another swing at Rigsby.

"I could arrest you!" Rigsby threatened and Anna squirmed in Amos' grip.

"Try me, you ass hole!" Amos stepped away from Rigsby, since he was standing still now.

"Calm down!" He ordered Anna who pulled from his grasp. Amos was ready to grab her again but she didn't jump for Rigsby.

"You were there, at the hospital .You _know_ about us. Why would you tell him otherwise?" Wayne looked confused.

"What are you talking about?"

"Telling him that you and Grace are together!" Anna yelled and Rigsby shook his head.

"I didn't." Amos frowned.

"What are you on about son? I thought you were calling because you were her boyfriend again." Rigsby shook his head again.

"No, sir, I called you because I was with her when she was shot. I can't help but feel a little responsible." Amos took a second where he realized his mistake, and then he looked at Anna.

"Get inside." Grace told them all. She couldn't do this in her hallway. Wayne looked quite scared and obliged, brushing past her. Anna followed slowly, her face contorted in confusion and sadness. Amos was last, his eyes never leaving Grace. They were all standing around the sitting room in their own little worlds. They were all thinking of different things but by the looks on their faces they were all just as important as the other. Right now though, Grace could feel her pain killers wearing off and she needed them to be focusing on her. Not her favourite thing in the world but it was a necessity.

"Dad, I'm not with Rigsby. I'm with Anna. Anna lives in the apartment below me, 2B. We met up a few months ago when I helped her with some decorating. We've been dating ever since and I didn't tell you because I know how old fashioned you are and I was afraid of what you would think. I'm sorry." Her father just stared back at her and gave a small nod. Grace turned to Wayne.

"Thank you for calling him, it was sweet. Don't hold yourself responsible though you did everything you could, and you saved my life. I'll never forget that. And this..." She motioned to Anna.

"Has nothing to do with you or with us. I guess O'Laughlin was just the final straw." Wayne nodded and silently turned for the door, not before stopping by Anna.

"If you hurt her, then I will arrest you. And I'll make sure it's for something serious." Anna went to respond but didn't, knowing this was his way of a peace offering. She nodded and he left, shutting the door behind him.

"You know what sweetheart?" Amos asked Grace.

"I'm going to go and get a motel room, sleep off the flight. I'll call you tomorrow and we can have dinner...the three of us. Does that sound good?" Grace smiled and he hugged her, kissing her hair.

"There's my Bracey Gracey." Picking his suitcase up he left and Grace sighed, carefully sitting on the sofa.

"Well that was...eventful..." Anna said quietly.

"Anna could we-"

"When were you and that cop together?" Grace watched Anna who wouldn't face her. Anna didn't wait for an answer.

"I'm going to go to my place for a while. Call if you need anything." Grace opened her mouth to stop her but Anna was already opening the door. When she got outside she fought back the tears, trying to muffle her sobs. Grace could hear her and got up, slowly walking over to the door. When she got there though, all she saw was the back of Anna jogging down the stairs.

It had been three days since they had spoken. Grace had only left the apartment once to go to the store but she couldn't take the stairs so she didn't pass Anna's place. Anna had told Grace's father that she wasn't feeling well so she didn't go for dinner. Grace was sitting watching the news when she heard yelling from another apartment. Muting the TV she listened closely, realizing it was next door. Walking over to the door she opened it and leant out to hear what was going on.

"Did she cheat on him again or is it her boy toy?" Someone asked Grace who turned to find Anna sipping a large 'Slushy'.

"I don't know. I can't tell." Anna moved past Grace into Grace's apartment and put her stuff down. Grace watched her in general surprise as she walked straight into the bedroom and returned with Grace's police badge.

"Watch this..." Anna told Grace as she took her jacket off. Before she left Anna cleared her throat and began to chew some imaginary gum rather enthusiastically.

"Hey!" Banging on the door Anna didn't stop until a young, shirtless man swung it open.

"What?" He barked.

"Don't 'what' me buddy! Special Agent Sanders for the California Bureau of Investigation, I'm trying to talk to a witness and you're making such a fucking racket!" Anna was putting on a remarkably good New York accent as she flashed her badge.

"If you don't keep your girlfriend quiet then I'll have my superior come here with a warrant for your arrest! We have a gunshot victim here, come on people!" Turning she left the man standing there blushing. When the door to Grace's apartment closed they fell apart in laughter, Grace stopping just before she felt her stitches protest in pain.

"Look, Grace, I'm sorry I haven't been to see you or called I just...I needed some time. I couldn't deal with your dad and everything. I just don't get it, why you never told him." Grace nodded and went through to the kitchen, opening a bottle of water for her and a beer for Anna.

"I know and I'm so sorry, it's just my dad's real old fashioned. I don't even think there were any gay people where we lived. I was just so afraid of what he'd think, but the other day I just realized that if I'd told him about us then I wouldn't have nearly lost you and-" She was cut off as Anna leant forward and kissed her lips softly. Grace could taste the beer in Anna's breath but she didn't care. Anna pulled away and brushed Grace's hair from her face.

"You weren't even close to losing me I just...I figured you'd had a tough relationship history since you've never once mentioned any of it but I would've appreciated a little heads up about the cop."

"Sorry about that, I definitely should've told you both sooner. About the others I-" Anna shook her head.

"I wasn't pressuring you into anything; I just wanted to let you know. Guy, girl, whoever this O'Laughlin person is or whoever else you were with, it doesn't matter. I..." Anna's words caught and she cleared her throat.

"I love you for you, not who you've been with." Grace felt her face flush red as she grinned widely.

"Well it's a pity I only love you for your body." Grace joked which earned her a playful shove from Anna.


	5. Back To Work

Chapter 5

Back to Work

Grace flicked through the paper as she sat at the worktop, sipping her coffee.

"Grace?" Anna called from her bedroom.

"I'm out here!" Grace called back.

"What the hell, it's barely seven a.m. When did you get up?" Anna complained as she padded out of the bedroom in her bare feet.

"A couple of hours ago, I went to my place and showered, changed. Thought I'd come back and say bye before work." Grace smiled and grabbed Anna by the shirt, pulling her to her for a kiss.

"Ugh, freak! Who looks forward to their job?" Grace chuckled and shrugged.

"I like my job, I hate being bored." Anna went to the refrigerator and got the juice out, sipping it from the carton.

"Oh, boring am I now?" Grace turned back to her paper.

"You know what I mean! I need to do things, keep busy." Smirking Anna nudged Graces arm so she could snuggle into her side.

"I thought you were busy, doing me for the past three weeks." Laughing Grace kissed Anna and checked her cell phone as it buzzed on the worktop.

"I did, but now I'm going to be busy doing something else, sadly not you but I think I'll have to live with it. Right, Wayne is outside I have to go." Anna nodded let Grace leave without argument, to be honest Anna was only going back to bed anyway. When Grace stepped out of the apartment, her gun and badge on her hip and her jacket in hand she automatically went to press the button to call for an elevator. She stopped herself and turned for the stairs, taking them two at a time. Jogging out of the apartment building she saw Wayne smiling at her from his car.

"Well, well don't we look lively today? Good as new." Wayne complimented as Grace headed for the passenger side of the car.

"What can I say; you get the good drugs at the hospital." Just before Grace got in she heard the door to her building open.

"Grace wait!" It was Anna. She was still in the oversized shirt but she had found some old shorts.

"What is it?" She asked as she met Anna at the other side of the car.

"You forgot your keys." As Anna handed them to her she kissed Grace good bye.

"Thanks honey, I'll call you later." Anna waved as Grace got back into the car.

"No problem, hey Wayne." Anna greeted Wayne who smiled politely and drove off.

"So how was your three week vacation?" Wayne asked as they drove through the city.

"It was fine just good to be back." Grace replied, looking out of the window. As they drove past the coffee store neither of them said anything. It was full and busy, like nothing had happened. Grace ignored the chill that ran down her spine and looked away.

"Grace I-" She cut him off.

"Don't apologize again Wayne, it's not your fault." Wayne nodded.

"Okay, I won't apologize. I just feel like I should do something, seeing Anna so cut up over you made me feel guiltier." Grace sighed.

"Did you order the hit on me Wayne?" He laughed and Grace nodded.

"Then you're in the clear. Just let's say I owe you one okay?" Wayne nodded and pulled into the precincts car park. They both got out of the car and Wayne's phone rang. As he answered it Grace signalled that she was going to go up to the office and he nodded, his girlfriend on the phone. Grace stepped out of the elevator onto her works floor and felt a comforting sense of home. As she walked around the corner she saw Cho at his desk, frowning at his computer and Jane napping on his couch. She walked through (neither of them noticing her) and knocked on Lisbon's office.

"Come in." Lisbon replied and smiled when she saw it was Grace.

"Hey Boss." Grace greeted awkwardly as Lisbon got up and hugged her.

"I'm glad that you're back with us Grace. If you need some more time though-"

"No, I'm fine." Grace interrupted.

"Okay, then whatever you feel is fine. I don't want to send you on the field immediately though. Right now, you have an appointment with the therapist." Grace stood motionless. She was expecting crappy desk work, not shrinking.

"Um Boss...I didn't apply for any therapy." Lisbon nodded and returned to her desk.

"Of course you didn't but it's mandatory for any agent involved in a serious shooting. You had to go last time, you have to go now."

"But Boss last time I was the one shooting the gun, this time I was shot. Surely that should mean..." Grace trailed off knowing that by the look on Lisbon's face she'd have to go anyway.

"Fine." Lisbon finally said.

"You got me, no it isn't mandatory. But I'm making you go anyway, I still don't think that you're okay since O'Laughlin." Grace opened her mouth to argue but Lisbon carried on regardless.

"I know you're going to say you're fine, just go okay? A few weeks and if the therapist says you're not suicidal then fine, stop going. But for now you're already late, so go. And that's a order." Grace silently left the room, not closing the door behind her. When she walked past Jane toward the elevator he was awake.

"Hey Grace it's good to have you..." She didn't listen to him, she just carried on walking. He shrugged and picked up the newspaper. When Grace got to the therapists office she apologized for being late and then was taken to another room where she waited. Her leg twitched as she sighed, checking her watch. She was already bored.

"Good morning Grace." The therapist was a woman not too much older than her. She had brown hair and average height. Everything about her was pretty average Grace thought.

"How are you today?" Shrugging Grace looked at the clock on the wall.

"I'm fine." The therapist sighed.

"Look I know you don't want to be here. Just like you didn't the last time you were but you might as well make some use of it don't you think?" Grace sighed again, dramatically.

"I'm sorry but what do you want me to say? I don't feel anything about the shooting." Her therapist nodded.

"Okay then, tell me what is new with you. Anything good happen lately?" Grace thought about something that wouldn't lead to questions but then decided that was inevitable.

"I'm dating someone. I think it's going pretty well and I see it getting serious."

"That's good. Do you not feel any connection between this relationship and your previous with O'Laughlin?" Grace laughed.

"No, not at all, her name is Anna. She is nothing like he was, she's kind and funny and sweet. He was using me, he was a liar." The therapist didn't say anything. She nodded.

"So, you do not find it strange that you go through a traumatic experience with someone you fell in love with and then you suddenly feel things for a woman?" Grace shook her head,

"No, I think that O'Laughlin really hurt me and I found someone who makes me feel like it is impossible to be hurt again."

"So you never liked men?"

"That's not what I said. I think I loved Wayne very much, and I will always hold feelings for him but right now, I love Anna. I think she helped me realize my mistakes." Grace concluded.

"So Wayne was a mistake?" Grace slanted her eyes.

"No, that is not what I said either. I loved Wayne but I was clouded, I never even considered falling in love with a woman." The therapist nodded and Grace shook her head, telling herself how truly ridiculous this was.

"Have you shot anyone since O'Laughlin?" Grace snapped her head back to the therapist, stunned.

"I'm sorry to be so blunt Grace, but you refuse to talk about things I need to have a raw reaction from you."

"No." Grace told her curtly.

"There we go; a raw reaction." She told Grace with satisfaction.

"I didn't react!" Grace argued but growled under her breath at the woman's grin.

"You told me no, you don't want to talk about it. The reaction is that you shut down, not able to talk." Grace ignored the small part of her that yearned to tell the woman how she felt, how she had the bad dreams, how she never told Anna. How she was afraid to. Somehow though she pushed it all to the back of her mind and stood up.

"We're done here." She told the therapist and left, silently. The woman let her, knowing she had gotten enough out of her.

"Grace, what're you doing here?" Lisbon asked as Grace walked to her desk.

"I'm done." Lisbon didn't argue, seeing Grace's obvious upset.

"Well good, I need you and Rigsby to go on a call." Grace practically jumped out of her seat to Rigsby's side. She didn't talk though, not in the elevator. Not in the car. Not even at the docks were they were finding a witness.

"Special Agent Wayne Rigsby here and I'm wondering if you had a Ryan Murphy working here today?" As Rigsby flashed his badge a young man looked over to Grace and him. Grace looked back at him.

"Wayne..." She muttered and the guy ran. Grace fell behind him, chasing him. She could hear Rigsby falling further and further behind, his lack of fitness kicking in. She was fit though, she could run. The guy turned out into a storage space full of metal pipes and skidded, nearly falling. He slowed enough for Grace to grab his collar and pulled him up though.

"Hey!" Wayne called as he fell behind Grace.

"You bitch!" The guy told Grace as he punched her in the face, right in the eye.

"Ouch!" Grace punched the guy in the stomach twice and handcuffed him.

"Easy..." Wayne warned as he took the guy off her hands. She was ready to give him a black eye. Her temper was getting worse, she had noticed. But she ignored it, following Rigsby to the car.


End file.
